AMD FSR 4 shows a noticeable advantage over the competing Intel XeSS 2, delivering an overall better image quality with little to no difference in performance. While XeSS 2 offers a sharper and more stable image compared to FSR 3.1, FSR 4 has turned the tables, better retaining small details, according to the latest analysis. And thanks to new mods by some savvy people, you also can enjoy this on your unsupported Radeon card.
If you have been following the recent news regarding AMD’s FSR technology, you are probably aware of the community’s ongoing attempts at enabling it on officially compatible hardware such as RDNA 3 and RDNA 2 GPUs. The latest advancement in this came following the release of FSR 4 source code by AMD, which resulted in the creation of DLL files that can implement FSR 4 on any GPU able to handle Int8 operations.
Though we had a clear idea about the performance hit of forcing FSR 4 on these unsupported GPUs, we didn’t have a lot of comparisons against Intel’s XeSS 2. Well, today, NJ Tech is fixing this omission, showcasing the performance and image quality of FSR 4 vs XeSS 2, in multiple games.
NJ Tech’s side-by-side video shows a noticeable advantage for FSR 4, especially when it comes to small detail retention and overall image stability. The image also looks a bit sharper, giving textures a higher resolution feel. But the best part is that FSR 4 did so without costing that much in terms of performance, like it did against FSR 3.1.
In Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p Ultra preset without RT, NJ Tech measured about 90-ish fps, with a small 1 to 2fps advantage for XeSS 2 from time to time. Nothing that would be noticed during gameplay. What will be noticeable, however, is the stability of the trees – as you can see below, where FSR 4 rendered less fuzzy palm leaves.
The same goes for Horizon Forbidden West and The Last of Us Part II Remastered, delivering more stable grass and character hair. Interestingly, both of these saw no performance difference between XeSS 2 and FSR 4, making the latter the better option due to its higher image quality. Lastly, God of War Ragnarok and Oblivion Remastered are the ones who suffered the most from FSR 4’s implementation, trailing XeSS 2 by around 5%. All tests were run on a Windows 11 system powered by a Radeon RX 7800 XT and a Ryzen 5 7600X. Also, this comparison was recorded using Corsair’s Elgato HD60 X capture card to avoid any impact on performance measurements.
That said, keep in mind that resolution and upscaling settings (Quality vs Balance vs Performance) may shuffle these results a bit, perhaps giving XeSS a quality advantage in some scenarios. However, as things stand, FSR 4 is definitely the winner when it comes to image quality, while XeSS 2 holds a small performance advantage. Thus, the better one will depend on your preferences, image stability or a couple of extra fps. You can watch the full comparison in the video below and decide for yourself.
